Comfortable and capacious, this entry-level four-berth is family-friendly and offers excellent towing stability
Words and photos Peter Baber
THE ELDDIS Avanté has proved a popular choice for a large number of dealerships to use as the base for their special editions. But with Elddis caravans remaining largely unchanged this season, we thought it might be a good time to take stock of what the range has to offer, by inspecting one of the most popular models, the 550 with a central washroom and an inline island bed.
We went to Whitfords Caravan Centre, in Burnley, to check it out.
Pitch and set-up
Erwin Hymer UK is hot on towing stability. The Avanté is the Elddis brand’s cheapest range, but it still manages to come with ATC as standard. Few other manufacturers do that at this level.
It looks stylish, too, as the crisp white of the exterior contrasts at the front with black tinted windows and a grey panel on the gas bottle locker. The grab handles are chrome, another smart touch. There are no external locker doors, but you do get a spare wheel slung underneath the van.
Lounge
The lounge feels very bright, thanks to the pale upholstery and fawn furniture finish. The settees are comfortable, too, with a pronounced knee roll.
But they only just provide enough room for four – that is possibly something you have to put up with if you want a caravan that’s less than 6.5m long, but has an inline island bed.
There is a useful pull-out shelf above the central chest, while the foldaway table is stowed in its own compartment by the door. It is big enough for four.
At night, ambient light behind the lockers, a spotlight in each corner of the lounge and a striplight over the chest – all individually switched – keep things bright. There are TV sockets by the door.
There is a mains socket in the offside corner of the front sill, but what this lounge really lacks is USB ports. One comes as part of the radio fitted inside one of the lockers, but that’s it. There aren’t any among the TV sockets or the light fittings. If you are in need of a digital detox, you might think that is a good thing. But teenagers with all of their devices could feel a bit put out.
Kitchen
The kitchen has a reasonable amount of workspace, so you might not need to use the pull-up extension. There’s even more worktop if you put the cover on the sink, and there are two mains sockets nearby.
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